


Seven Noble Lords

by ChocolatteKitty_Kat



Series: A Noble Contradiction [3]
Category: Chronicles of Narnia (Movies), Chronicles of Narnia - All Media Types, Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis
Genre: Boats and Ships, Cair Paravel, Seven Noble Lords
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-10-29 23:40:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17817734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChocolatteKitty_Kat/pseuds/ChocolatteKitty_Kat
Summary: Caspian determines to find the seven friends of his father that Miraz drove from Narnia. Takes place about a year after the events of Prince Caspian.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so bear with me here as I do a little bit of personal worldbuilding--I got a little carried away with the descriptions of the new Cair Paravel. This story also ended up like three times as long as I meant for it to be... So I'll be posting it in three parts. Stay tuned!

Caspian and his court moved into Cair Paravel in the middle of the next spring. The dwarves, despite the winter weather, had worked hard for months on rebuilding the castle, and while no-one expected that it looked the same as it had hundreds of years earlier, when the four Pevensies ruled Narnia, they were all extremely impressed with the handiwork of the dwarves. The dwarves, naturally, responded to compliments on their craftsmanship with comments like “oh, it was nothing, of course”, but were really very proud of their work.

On his first day holding court in the palace, Caspian stood at the great window behind the dais in the throne room and stared out over the sea. It sparkled a brilliant blue and turquoise in the morning sun, and he saw ribbons of white foam at the tops of the waves far below. The stripe of golden sand was dotted with dark figures--the dwarves and many others were now hard at work building a port to go along with the new capital of Narnia. A small settlement had also sprung up along the main road through the forest; this is where the builders had stayed throughout the fall and winter during the construction of the castle. Now that the king and his court had moved officially into Cair Paravel, there was no doubt that the settlement would soon grow into a town of more permanent structures.

The throne room of Cair Paravel wasn’t hugely different from that of Miraz’s Castle, for which Caspian was grateful--the layout had always seemed practical to him, and every taste of government he’d ever had, beyond the time spent leading the Narnians in their revolt from Aslan’s How, had come from within that room. Therefore, the room was a great rectangle, longer actually than that of the castle of the Telmarines, and a large square was formed on three sides by beautifully crafted seats for the Lords and by the dais on the fourth. These seats, unlike the massive ugly chairs of the Telmarine court, were beautifully crafted and hand carved out of the finest woods by satyr and faun craftsmen. The seats were cushioned in lovely, bright fabrics, the wooden arms and back were decorated with intricate scenes (mostly of flowers and trees, but also of other things that would represent the person supposed to sit in the chair), and each chair was perfectly sized and suited for its intended occupant: low seats for dwarves, high broad seats for minotaurs and satyrs, stairs up to Reepicheep’s tiny seat--so that he wouldn’t be seated lower than everyone else--and an extra-stuffed cushion for Doctor Cornelius’s old bones. The chairs were fully movable, unlike those in the Telmarine court, to allow them to be taken to the sides so that the room could be used as a Hall.

In the front center of the dais was Caspian’s throne. There had been some discussion as to whether it should be a stone throne, like the one in Miraz’s castle, and like the four thrones of old were rumored to have been (and the ruins of the castle seemed to support the latter). Finally, someone came up with the idea to construct a throne out of stone remnants of the original castle of Cair Paravel, and that is what now stood on the dais in the throne room. It was a large throne, but not ornate, made simply of chunks of white stone carved to fit together perfectly. The base of the throne was carved to look like the trunk and roots of a tree, and flowed down into the grey and white stone of the dais (as this was constructed out of what remained of the original dais, along with new stone brought by the dwarves), and the back and arms were made to look like twisting vines or branches. At the center of the back of the chair was a medallion of plain white stone, into which Caspian had tasked Trumpkin with carving a relief of a lion’s face and mane, to represent Aslan.

The rest of the castle was similarly a combination of the old and the new. The foundations of many of the walls and towers were still made of the old off-white stone that the original Cair Paravel had been constructed from, but had been added onto with soft-colored grey stone mined by the dwarves in the north. The gates and doorways were made of redstone from the southern mountains, so that, all-in-all, Cair Paravel was, even at first sight, much brighter and more colorful than Miraz’s castle had ever been. Inside the halls of the castle, bright tapestries, depicting the reigns of great kings and queens of history--not just the four Pevensies--and the early events of Caspian’s reign were hung. These had been woven by centauresses and dryads and many of the Talking Beasts, and presented to the young king as a sort of “housewarming” gift. Spaced between the tapestries, except in interior rooms and corridors, were huge windows, most of them ranging from floor to ceiling, looking out over the sea to the east, Narnia to the west, and the forest that still surrounded the castle. The views were breathtaking; Caspian easily found himself lost in them, just as he was now.

“Your majesty?” came a gentle voice from behind him, and Caspian snapped out of his reverie. He turned around and found Doctor Cornelius standing behind him, resplendent in his plain blue robes, with his long white beard tucked into his belt and hair freshly combed and braided.

“Good morning, Doctor,” Caspian smiled. It was almost as though the sea air of the island was working a miracle in all of them--Doctor Cornelius looked years younger after only a few days in the castle, and Caspian felt himself freshly renewed--fully invigorated for almost the first time since he had taken his throne.

“A truly magnificent view, isn’t it?” the doctor’s gaze drifted out the window, taking in the sea, forest, and beach below them.

“Yes,” Caspian agreed.

“I hear--and see--that the dwarves have begun building a port down to the east?” Doctor Cornelius nodded towards the bustle of construction down on the beach.

“Yes,” Caspian said again. “I don’t think it was so much their idea--I think the minotaurs probably had something to do with it; did you know that, according to legend, the minotaurs were the first seafarers in Narnia? They taught the craft to the other races, and some say to men as well.”

“A pity that the knowledge of seafaring was lost when the Telmarines invaded,” Cornelius sighed.

“A pity,” Caspian agreed. “I have never understood why my people feared the sea so much.”

“The Telmarines feared what they didn’t understand,” Cornelius said. “The sea, the Narnians, Aslan… They had no knowledge of these things, but instead of seeking to learn about them, they feared them and pushed them away. And so much knowledge has been lost.”

“But it doesn’t have to be lost for good,” Caspian pointed out. “There are legends of islands near the eastern coast of Narnia--even the Telmarines spoke of them, and a representative from Galma has sat on the Council of Lords for most of our history.”

“Unfortunately, the last of these representatives was killed in the Battle of Beruna, and we have no way of contacting his people,” said the doctor.

“Not necessarily,” Caspian said, his eyes beginning to shine with excitement. “Doctor, I have a task for you.”

“Anything you ask, my king, I will do, so long as it is in my power--and does not go against the laws of Aslan,” Cornelius bowed slightly.

“Would you please spend some time searching your books for any mentions of seafaring or sailing?” Caspian asked. “I have already spoken to the minotaurs, but they do not keep much of a written history, although they have promised to speak to their storytellers to see what they may remember. I have asked the same of the centaurs.”

“I will search my texts, sire,” Cornelius said, “but I will make no promises that there will be anything to be found in them.”

“All I ask is that you search,” Caspian said. “And if nothing is found… well, then we may have to take the study of seafaring from the beginning.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song that Wrega sings in this chapter is from the Irish film Song of the Sea. I tweaked it a bit, and then rewrote two lines in the last section she sings.

Several weeks after Caspian had made his first inquiries into the subject of seafaring, the minotaurs, centaurs, and Doctor Cornelius came to him with their results, which he asked them to report to the full Council at the next meeting.

“My Lords!” Caspian called the council to order. It was well into spring at this point, and, since many of the panels in the glass wall behind him and the windows in the sides of the hall had been designed to open like doors, they had been thrown open, letting the gentle sea breeze fill the hall. It was exactly the sort of weather in which the discussion of a sea voyage would be best received, no matter how reluctant the listener may be about the idea of sailing. “Welcome. Please, take your seats. Does anyone have any business to bring before the council?

Darendulum and Rorfok, along with Wrega, a huge minotaur with shaggy light brown fur, gave reports on the construction around Cair Paravel--the name having already come to refer to the entire island, not just the castle itself--including the rapidly-growing town, port and docks, and a ferry dock on each side of the channel between the island and the mainland of Narnia. Trufflehunter shared, on behalf of the Talking Beasts and Trees and dryads of the nearby forest, the results of a survey on what would be the best location to begin building a proper road down to the coast, to fully connect Cair Paravel with the rest of Narnia. Glenstorm came forward and told them all what he had read in the stars recently--the summary was that all portents were good.

Finally, the Lords were done with their business. Caspian rose to his feet and took a step forward. “My Lords,” he said, “I have a topic to bring to you for discussion. Several weeks ago, I spoke with Glenstorm, Wrega, and Doctor Cornelius on the subject of seafaring, and asked each of them to go to their sources to see what was remembered on the topic. Over the past few days, each has come to me with their results, and I have asked them to share those with all of you.”

“Why is your majesty so concerned with the sea?” one of the remaining Telmarine lords asked loudly. “Nothing good has ever come from it, at least not to our people.”

“Quite to the contrary,” Trufflehunter said gently. “Not only did the Kings and Queens of Old rule from Cair Paravel, the very ruins on which this castle has been built, the castle-on-the-sea, but in every legend, Aslan has come to Narnia from the east--from over the sea. Even when our very own King Caspian blew the horn of Queen Susan, it was by the sea that Trumpkin found the four Kings and Queens and brought them to the rest of us to defeat the usurper Miraz.”

“Historically,” said Doctor Cornelius, “there was a good deal of trade between Narnia and the islands which were governed by the King (or Queen) of Narnia: the Seven Isles, Galma, Terebinthia, and the Lone Islands. Not to mention the lands to the south, such as Calormen and Telmar. Sea trade may not be so practical with Archenland; I’m not sure what ports that country has, it would certainly be far more practical to lands beyond the mountain range in which Archenland is settled. And if there were ever to be another uprising of the giants to the north, think how practical it would be to be able to attack them from two fronts--the land to the south and sea to the east.”

Caspian smiled thankfully at his old friend. “I couldn’t have put it better myself, Doctor,” he said. “And there are other reasons to learn the ways of the sea, but I will save those until after the reports. Doctor Cornelius, since you have already shared some of your wisdom with us, will you take the floor?”

“Of course, sire,” the doctor stood and stepped into the center of the square. “King Caspian asked me to consult my historical tomes for mentions of seafaring--particularly of the mechanics of the craft. Unfortunately, much of what I found concerning the sea was in regards to trade and tribute from the islands under Narnia’s government--the aforementioned Seven Isles, Lone Islands, Galma, and Terebinthia. The nearest of these is Galma, as many of you may know, and this is also the only island that has remained under rule of the Telmarine kings for the past few hundred years. In the histories of Caspian I and his subjects, I found mention of the Lone Islands and Terebinthia, but not much. There was not a great deal of settlement in the Lone Islands, and Caspian I seemed to be concerned of any objection from the Calormene Tisroc if he attempted to subjugate them, and so left them be. Terebinthia was more civilised, in Caspian’s mind, but he made little attempt to overtake it. 

“It seems to me that Caspian I was more interested in taking Narnia itself than the sovereign islands associated with it, with the exception of Galma, which he claimed in order to have a better platform from which to launch his attack on Cair Paravel and the rest of Narnia. Once he had taken--or, rather, destroyed--Cair Paravel and moved further inland, Galma was easily retained with threats of violence from Caspian I and his son and grandson. After that, Galma showed no indication of revolt, and soon began to be peacefully allied with the Telmarine regime. And, as the Telmarines forgot where they came from, they grew to fear the sea, and soon forgot the very ships that had brought them to Narnia in the first place. Galma retained its connection with the sea largely out of necessity--after all, a small island can only be so independent--although it was primarily self-sufficient, and had little trade with Narnia, and even its tribute grew less over the years.

“The only mention I found on the actual mechanics of sailing and of seafaring vessels came from a single, rather small volume, which I actually believe to be a journal of some sort, although who it belonged to was a mystery. It was written long before the invasion of the Telmarines, and has many sketches and drawings of ships that the author saw in the port in which he or she lived--the exact location is unclear, but I believe it to be somewhere in the Lone Islands or Terebinthia, due to the prominent mentions of Calormen and Archenland in the written sections. Unfortunately, these drawings are not proper schematics, nor do they have any sort of measurements for the ships they represent, or any indication as to which ships may be suited for long voyages versus short, or sea travels versus trips through shallower waters along the coasts.” His speech finished, Cornelius turned and bowed to Caspian, then returned to his seat.

“Wrega, what did you learn from the storytellers of your people?” Caspian called upon the tawny minotaur lord.

Wrega stood and returned to the centaur of the chamber. She was one of the most massive creatures Caspian--and many others, particularly the humans, in the chamber--had ever seen, standing well over seven feet tall, and nearly as broad as two men stood side-by-side. Her biceps were easily as thick around as Caspian’s thighs, and her thighs had a circumference nearer that of Trumpkin’s waist. Her horns were smaller than most of the minotaurs Caspian had known, since many of them had been male, but were at least as thick as his wrist, and were decorated with bands of silver and gold. A big gold ring went through her nose, and her long ears were pierced several times each and hung with gold and silver hoops that chimed when she walked. Her shaggy fur was braided and twisted away from her wide dark eyes and long snout, and she wore silver and gold bands on her forearms and ankles--the ones on her ankles jangled with each heavy step she took, so that it was very easy to hear her coming.

“I spoke to Jaraska, the oldest and foremost of our storytellers,” Wrega said in her great booming voice. “Jaraska knew a few stories of the times when our people still sailed the seas, before being forced into subjugation and hiding by the Telmarines”--here she side-eyed the Telmarine lords seated nearest her-- “and were no longer able to practice our craft. He sang me a song called ‘Song of the Sea’.” Here, Wrega drew herself up to her full height, puffed out her chest, and began to sing:

_ Between the here, between the now, _

_ Between the North, Between the South, _

_ Between the West, Between the East, _

_ Between the time, Between the place, _

 

_ From the shell, _

_ The Song of the Sea, _

_ Neither quiet nor calm, _

_ Searching for love again. _

 

_ Between the winds, Between the waves, _

_ Between the sands, Between the shores, _

_ Between the stones, Between the storms, _

_ Between belief, Between the seas, _

 

_ Calling us back, _

_ The Song of the Sea, _

_ Neither quiet nor calm, _

_ Searching for home again. _

“According to Jaraska,” Wrega continued in her speaking voice, “the sea calls to the minotaurs because we were once the closest to it. Minotaurs developed the craft of sailing because we sought to explore the world beyond the borders of land. In ancient times, aging minotaurs would man ships and sail to the far east, to Aslan’s country.” Her face fell. “Unfortunately, in the time of the White Witch, many of the young minotaurs, preferring lives of excitement in the world, turned to her, and the practice of sailing east faded. 

“And so, our reputation as seafarers faded as well, and many of the oldest stories, the ones telling of our prowess upon the waves, faded with it. Even that song is only a fragment of what it once was--Jaraska remembers his grandfather, the singer who trained him, speaking of old verses, forgotten even when he was young, that spoke of what would be found to the east if one were to sail there. Unfortunately, the stories and songs that Jaraska, and the other elders I spoke to, remember only tell of the adventures to be had across the seas, rather than precisely how to get to that point.”

“Thank you, Wrega,” Caspian said. He had felt something in his heart stir with the haunting melody that Wrega had sung, and although no-one had yet brought any particularly solid information to him, he still felt hopeful for the prospect of one day sailing east himself. “Glenstorm, you are the last I have asked to speak. What do you have to share with us?”

“I have spoken with many of the storytellers of my people, and many had stories of the sea,” Glenstorm replied, taking Wrega’s place in the center of the chamber. “But, like the minotaurs, they mostly told of the adventures of seafarers, rather then of the ships taken on those adventures.”

Caspian felt the hope that had begun to rise in his heart begin to fall away. He saw Reepicheep’s face fall far more visibly, and Doctor Cornelius seemed to be equally crestfallen. Many of the Telmarines, however, seemed relieved at the lack of specificity, and most of the Talking Beasts and Narnians--excepting the minotaurs--looked largely unconcerned one way or the other.

“However,” the word snapped Caspian out of his despairing thoughts, “The storyteller Inite had a story to tell. You see, for the most part, centaurs do not write our histories--like the minotaurs and many others, we rely on oral storytelling and song-singing to keep our memories alive. But shortly after the Telmarine invasion, when they had destroyed many of the Narnians and continued to hunt the rest, the centaurs began to write down their stories, so that if a storyteller died without passing on his tales, they would still be preserved. The libraries were broken up and hidden around Narnia even as they were created, carved into wood sheets and stone tablets, rather than indelible paper. Some were only simple drawings--like those on the walls of Aslan’s How, which many of us are so familiar with--while others were ornate prose and poetry. 

“Inite took myself, my sons, and a few others to the known locations of these libraries, since now we feel safe enough to begin to collect them into a place for reference purposes anyways, and we brought all of the literature that we could carry back with us, and began to search through it. Inite and Lightning Bolt are still doing so, attempting to organize the collection and catalogue it. We found a few stories concerning, as I mentioned already, the adventures of seafarers, but finally, we came across a sort of log written by an unknown scribe, telling the story of Myranthe, a centauress who, according to legend, was one of the few centaurs to actually sail the sea. It seemed as though the log had been recorded either by Myranthe herself, or by one speaking directly to her, and it included the rough dimensions of the vessel in which she sailed, as well as the type of wood that the ship was constructed from.”

“Dimensions?” Doctor Cornelius asked excitedly.

“How rough?” Darendulum asked warily.

“Myranthe gave the length of the ship based on her own steps,” Glenstorm explained. “She compared the height of the mast to her own height, and the depth of the ship to her own height as well. If we take a measurement of a centauress of average height and stride, this will give us a rough idea of where to start with the measurements of a ship.”

“What sort of ship did Myranthe sail on?” asked Caspian, now on the edge of his seat and leaning forward eagerly. “Was it one designed for the open seas, or for hugging the coastline?”

“The ship seems to have been designed for short trips near land,” Glenstorm replied. “Myranthe sailed to Galma on one trip, and to Terebinthia and the Lone Islands on the second. Additionally, since centaurs aren’t exactly… built for seafaring, it seems unlikely that she would have even been welcome on any other sort of ship.”

“Well, no matter what, it’s certainly a place to start,” Caspian said, settling back slightly. Glenstorm bowed and returned to his place at the corner of the square.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: See Ch. 1. I do not own Song of the Sea


	3. Chapter 3

“Your majesty?” Trufflehunter’s long face had turned to face the king. “You have yet to say why exactly  _ you  _ have taken an interest in the sea.”

Caspian smiled. “You’re right, Trufflehunter--I apologize. I seem to recall saying that I would do so once the others had shared their findings, and nearly forgot about it entirely.” He stood and stepped down towards the center of the square, a fresh breeze flowing through the windows and into the room as he did, stirring the hair on his forehead and the edges of his loose shirt. “My lords, I must admit that my desire to explore the sea is not entirely… selfless. While all of the trade reasons that Doctor Cornelius spoke of earlier are certainly things that I had thought of these past weeks, along with the advantage of having the extra line of attack or defense should war arise with any of our neighboring nations, my initial desire to rekindle a national interest in seafaring was purely selfish: I have always wondered what lay in--and beyond--the sea.

“However,” he continued, “there is another reason even beyond that. Many of you Telmarine lords certainly remember when my uncle Miraz came into power. His behavior towards those that he deemed disloyal to him verged on tyrannical, and this included my father’s seven closest friends: the Lord Revilian, the Lord Bern, the Lord Argoz, the Lord Mavramorn, the Lord Octesian, the Lord Restimar, and the Lord Rhoop. Worried that these seven noble lords would stand by my side, rather than supporting Miraz’s own tentative claim, my uncle sent them on a farce of a ‘mapping expedition’, and told them to explore the eastern seas. None of the seven have been seen since. Since it was on my account that they were driven from this land, I feel that it is my duty, as King of Narnia, to officially lead the search for the seven lords and bring them home.”

The chamber fell silent; only the whispering of the new leaves on the trees outside was heard. Glenstorm shifted where he stood, his hooves scraping against the flagstones. Someone shifted in his chair; someone else coughed. The faces of the lords wore a myriad of expressions; some seemed incredulous, others were disapproving, even others seemed entirely bored of the conversation. Caspian held his breath as he waited for a response.

“Your majesty,” Lord Scopian, the newest human on the council and the governor of the newly rebuilt town of Beruna, slowly rose to his feet. “While this is certainly a  _ noble _ quest that you have proposed, I must raise my voice in objection to its  _ practicality _ . For one thing, do you intend to search out these lords yourself?”

“I have not yet decided,” Caspian said. “While on one hand, as I have already freely admitted, it is certainly my unparalleled desire to explore the Easter Sea, I also realize that it is impractical for me to actually plan to do so.” Scopian seemed relieved, and took his seat again. “However, it does only seem right that I, as king and representative of Narnia, go personally on this voyage in order to persuade the lords that this is not simply a trick by Miraz to lead them to their deaths.” Scopian looked alarmed again. “Of course, all of this is still theoretical. We are ages away from being able to even dream of such a voyage--there is a great deal we must learn before preparations can even be thought of. And, once again, this is not the  _ primary _ goal of founding a naval program; the primary goal is, of course, trade, while defense and offense are immediate secondary goals. A rescue mission for the lost Lords is much further down the list.”

The lords who had seemed uneasy by the initial proposition began to look more comfortable with the idea.

“But,” Scopian protested, “how can we truly be sure of the soundness of a boat that we have no schematics for?”

“If you think about it,” Trumpkin spoke up, looking almost like he had surprised himself in doing so, “the first sailors--whether they were men, or minotaurs, or something else entirely--weren’t truly sure of the soundness of whatever vessel they set out in.”

“An excellent point, Trumpkin,” Trufflehunter agreed. “Not to mention, we don’t really need to build a proper seagoing vessel, when all is said and done.”

“What do you mean?” Caspian asked.

“Well,” Trufflehunter explained, “all we really have to do is get to Galma. Its people are still--or at least were, up until the last anyone heard--proper sailors. They still practice the art of travelling the sea. I don’t see why they wouldn’t help us correct the ideas we have on the matter, unless they hold any sort of grudge against the Telmarine regime and the wickedness of Miraz, in which case, they will hopefully be easily persuaded that the new king is in a completely different class of monarch from his late uncle.”

“It’s not like Galma is particularly far, either,” Doctor Cornelius added. “Under twenty miles from Cair Paravel, if the maps I have are anything near accurate. On a very clear day, I think it would be possible to see a glimpse of the island in the distance, if one were to stand on the wall of the castle. If the ship sailed right along the coastline as well, it could even be feasible to have some sort of rescue operation ready to aid them if necessary.”

Several of the lords began to murmur, filling the chamber with their whispers. Although Caspian couldn’t understand most of the words, he thought that the sound was primarily optimistic. He made his way back to his seat, trading glances with Avernetrios, who stood at his usual post to the right side of the king. Avernetrios gave him a slight shrug, and Caspian hid a smile. His new friend was one of the few people he’d confided in when he first conceived of the idea of a naval program, and Avernetrios had made it clear that he, as a centaur, had absolutely no interest in sailing of any sort--despite the legends of Myranthe the seagoing centaur.

As Caspian took his seat once again, the murmurs died away, and the chamber fell silent. He looked out over the lords, taking in the mixture of emotions portrayed on their faces. “Well, my Lords,” the young king said in a firm, clear voice. “What is your verdict?”

.*.*.*.*.*.

Several months later, Caspian stood on the main dock of Cair Paravel’s new port. On the beach behind him, the hull of a freshly-constructed ship was propped up with scaffolding, ready to be shifted onto rollers, in order to be moved into the water. Caspian could see that the woodwork was rough--even though this was the third ship that had been built, the other two had not been properly waterproof, and had quickly sunk--but certainly looked like many of the pictures from the journal that Cornelius had found. The ship was nearly complete--her hull, decks, and mast were all installed, and the foundling shipwrights who had built her (primarily minotaurs, with aid from a few satyrs, dwarves, and even fauns) planned to put on the finishing touches once she was in the water.

As Caspian and the rest of the audience held their breath, the assembled minotaurs and satyrs strode forward to support the sides of the boat, while the fauns and dwarves quickly disassembled the scaffolding. The giant Wimbleweather stood at the prow of the ship, ready to help tow her into the water. Many of the members of Caspian’s council were either on the docks on the shore, and Avernetrios Wrega stood to either side of the king, along with Wrega’s cousin Tariki, who had become one of the foremost of the shipwrights. Reepicheep would have stood with them, except that the mouse had volunteered to lead his followers into the boat to check its stability once it was in the water. Tariki and her fellow shipwrights had protested, but Reepicheep had argued that a dozen mice weighed significantly less than even a single minotaur, could do the job far more quickly and more thoroughly, and would likely have an easier and faster time getting out of the ship if anything went wrong. Therefore, Tariki had reluctantly agreed to stand by on the dock with a small dinghy to either board if the ship was deemed safe, or rescue the mice if necessary.

As the scaffolding fell away, the onlookers watched the full weight of the ship fell onto the minotaurs and satyrs supporting it, until Wimbleweather took hold of the prow and began to ease it forward. Very slowly, the ship crept forward, until it finally met the water of the shoreline. The waves lapped against the hull as the minotaurs and satyrs guided it deeper. Once they could go no deeper, Wimbleweather took the full weight of the ship on himself, tugging it gently further and further out into the sea.

Everyone could see the moment when the ship left its contact with the ocean floor. One moment, she appeared to be resting, listing ever so slightly to starboard, and the next she was bobbing, fully upright, her mast tall and proud as the great tree it came from had once stood, pointing up at the sky.

A cheer rang through the crowd, echoing off of the water, but Caspian and Tariki held their exuberance in check. After all, the mice hadn’t yet cleared the vessel.

But, after another long moment of taut expectation, Reepicheep suddenly materialized on the side of the boat. He flung out his arms and squeaked at the top of his lungs: “ _ She is sound!!! _ ”

.*.*.*.*.*.

That night, Caspian could hardly sleep--and not just because of the celebration the minotaurs and other shipwrights were holding on the beach below the castle. His head was full of thoughts, hopes, and dreams that he’d had all his life; dreams of exploring the world to the east and south, of meeting the native peoples of those places, and building new alliances for Narnia. He allowed himself to dream, just for a moment, of the gratitude of his father’s old friends when he found them and welcomed them back into Narnia, then forced himself to push away the thought. In the morning, the sun dawned bright and huge in the east, its rays sparkling across the blue sea. Squarely in the center of the sun was the silhouette of the ship, her shadow stretching across the water and onto the golden sands of the beach. Caspian smiled slightly and spared a final thought towards the many adventures that would come from this ship and those to follow, then finally tumbled into bed for a few hours’ sleep before he had to truly face the day.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: See Ch. 1

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing you may recognize from the Chronicles of Narnia series. I do own this story and any original characters presented herein.


End file.
